Breaking
Down an Image (Visual Literacy)
Written by Jenna Pack Sheffield
Parent Category: Visual Literacy
Category: Breaking Down an Image
Published: 30 November 2011
Last Updated: 30 June 2016
We come across many images
on a daily basis, but we rarely stop to think about what those images mean or
about how they persuade us. Yet, images have power, which is why we need to
understand how to analyze them. When you’re analyzing an image to understand
the message it portrays, this is called visual rhetoric. Visual
rhetoric is a means of communication that uses images to create meaning or to
make an argument.
The first thing to consider
when breaking down, or analyzing, an image is the rhetorical situation:
the audience, context, and purpose.
Each of these elements is
essential in order to understand the message an image portrays. It is important
to remember that you can analyze all different types of images, including
advertisements, Public Service Announcements (PSAs), websites, paintings,
photographs, and more. Here, we will look at an advertisement:
Belviso, Luciano, "Day 34" June 11, 2011
via Flickr. Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 2.0)
Audience
The audience consists
of who is being targeted by the author, designer, or creator. In the above
image, it appears that the audience is men. How do we know this? Not only is
the person running in the background a man, but the color of the watch and the
size of the watch face indicate that the watch is likely a man’s watch. Of
course, women could indirectly be an audience, too, since they might want to
buy this watch for someone or wear it themselves. In addition, the audience
might be male athletes or outdoor enthusiasts. If
you pay close attention to the watch features, it includes North, South, East,
and West orientations; it is digital with various modes that likely include a
stopwatch, and it has a light for when it is dark. All of these features are
likely to appeal to outdoors types, athletes, or both.
Context
The context includes
any background information that will help you understand and analyze an image.
In the above image, the most important context is that the watch is a Pro Trek
watch. If you did some research, you would find out that Pro Trek watches are
part of Casio, an electronics manufacturing company. Knowing that Casio is an
electronics company, we might assume that they value functionality over
aesthetics; therefore, this might be the reason why the above watch is not very
decorative or complex, but is still the focal point of the image. This is
because Casio wants to feature the watch’s functionality.
Purpose
Purpose refers to the overall
goal for creating an image. With advertisements, that goal is fairly easy to
understand. Advertisements are almost always made to sell items. In our example
image, the purpose is to sell the Pro Trek watch.
There are many other
strategies to consider when breaking down an image. It’s always important to
consider the rhetorical situation first, since that will help you interpret the
purpose of the other strategies the designer uses. Then, you can begin to
interpret the other persuasive techniques that influence the overall message of
the image, including the tone, arrangement, text, typography, and color.
Tone
In literature, tone refers
to the author’s attitude toward the subject. So, with regard to images, tone
can also refer to the photographer/artist’s/designer’s perspective on the
issue. In our image above, the tone is a bit hard to interpret. However, the
fact that the watch is focused and up close while the background image of a
person is blurred gives us a clue: it seems that the designer is portraying
that the wearer of the watch is not that important. The watch is what’s
significant. Perhaps the message is that anyone can wear these watches. Whether
or not this is an effective approach to selling the watch is up for debate!
Arrangement
Arrangement refers to the
placement of images, graphics, and text in an image. There are two key elements
of arrangement—location and scale. Location refers to where a
text or image is placed, whereas scale refers to the relative
size of the visual components.
Location
Typically, our eyes scan an
image, text, and/or webpage from left to right and from top to bottom. The
designer of this advertisement has placed the Pro Trek logo and the image of
the watch to the right side of the page—top and bottom, respectively. If the
designer wanted our eyes to go to the logo first, he or she probably should
have placed the logo at the top left corner so our eyes would catch that logo
first. However, because the size of the watch is so large, it is obvious that
the focus is the watch. This brings us to the term scale.
Scale
As discussed, image of the
watch is both large and focused (compared to the blurred image of the man).
Thus, the scale of the watch (its size in relation to everything else on the
page), along with the sharp focus, indicates that the designer wants to viewer
to focus on the watch, ensuring that viewers can see all the neat features this
watch has to offer, while not getting distracted by other text or images.
Text
Text is another important
element to analyze, assuming an image includes text. If it does, the text is
obviously there for a purpose. Now, the only text on this advertisement is the
company logo. This is obviously there for the purpose of showing viewers what
type of watch it is so they can find it online or in a store. However, it is
possible that this image could have been more effective if it included a catch
phrase like those we often see in print ads or in commercials (think of
Skittles’ “Taste the Rainbow” or Subway’s “Eat Fresh” slogans). If you see an
image with text, consider the connotations of the words, the possible
underlying assumptions of the phrase, and the effect the words are meant to
have on the audience.
Typography
Typography refers to the font
size and font type choices that are made in a visual
composition.
Font Size
Notice that the font size
of Pro Trek is actually smaller than the time indicated on the watch! This
seems to actually reduce the importance of the company as compared to the
importance of the watch itself. Do you think this is an effective visual
strategy to persuade the audience to buy a Pro Trek watch?
Font Type
The font type we see with
the words Pro Trek is strong, bolded, and in ALL CAPS. Since
this advertisement is for a men’s athletic watch, the STRONG,
SERIOUS FONT TYPE is
probably more effective than a silly or playful
font type.
Color
Color choices can really
affect your audience, too. Colors can have different meanings (connotations)
that implicitly portray a message. Colors can also enhance or detract from an
image’s readability depending on the level of contrast used.
Connotation
Notice that this
advertisement has red hues in the background and orange/yellow hues in the
background and on the watch. The orange/yellow hues from the background tie in
nicely with this same color in the watch, creating a sense of coherence that
makes the design feel professional and therefore convincing. The red huescould connote
warmth, raising the heart beat, getting the blood pumping, which all symbolize
that the watch is effective for athletes.
Readability
You also should think about
practical concerns with color, such as whether or not the text color is
contrasted well enough with the background so that it is readable. For
instance, THIS is more
effective than THIS.
The white/black contrast of
the Pro Trek logo makes it easy to read.
Ultimately, the image we
have just broken down has both effective and ineffective rhetorical effects
(persuasive effects). For instance, the absence of a catchy phrase might
detract from its persuasiveness, or the blurred image of the man might
indirectly signal that the company cares more about the watch than who its
users are. On the other hand, though, the absence of text might send the
message that the watch is so amazing it speaks for itself. The blurred image
might simply reflect the movement of a man running, further emphasizing that
this man is using the watch for athletic purposes. These decisions about the
effectiveness of each strategy really depend on your individual analysis of the
image. This is how you will make an argument about its effectiveness. While the
above terminology will be helpful for analysis, regardless of the terminology,
the most important thing to remember is this: visuals portray meaning, just as
language does. If you take the time to understand the strategies used in images
to create meaning, then you will become a stronger critical thinker,
understanding how images are persuading you on a daily basis.
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